ONLINE FIRST: Uniontown girls get by Oxford in Sub-State

Uniontown's Jessica Farra (32) drives by Oxford's Jvella Whitlock (55) during the first quarter of play Wednesday night at Uniontown. Farra took the ball in for a score on the play on her way to a 15-point night in the Eagles' 43-42 victory in Class 2A Sub-State play. Look for more photos from this game in Friday's print edition. (Scott Nuzum/Tribune)

UNIONTOWN -- Uniontown's girls defeated Oxford in dramatic fashion Wednesday night at West Bourbon Elementary School, narrowly escaping with a 43-42 victory in a weather-delayed first-round game in the Yates Center Class 2A Sub-State Tournament.

"It was a nail-biter," Eagles senior Emily Shinn said. "I'm so, so proud of my team and the way we pulled together."

In a game that featured big momentum swings, the Eagles (11-10) led 23-19 at halftime. But they quickly fell behind as Oxford (9-11) opened the second half on an 11-0 run to take a 30-23 lead and control of the game midway through the third quarter. However, the sharpshooting abilities of Uniontown senior guard Lakyn Coyan enabled the Eagles to remain close, as she hit a baseline jumper to end the offensive drought, bringing the score to 30-25 with 3:35 remaining in the third.

Coyan also finished out the third quarter with a flurry, scoring 4 quick points and swinging the momentum back in the Eagles' favor as the teams entered the fourth quarter with the Wildcats leading 37-32.

On the first possession of the fourth quarter, the Wildcats went into a four-corners offense as they attempted to run down the clock. However, shaky passing resulted in multiple turnovers early on in the quarter for Oxford. With 6:44 left to play, Eagles senior Jessica Farra took an inbound pass coast to coast for a layup, to cut the Wildcats' lead to 37-34.

As Oxford continued to try to salt the clock away with a heavy dose of perimeter passing, Coyan made a critical defensive play, stealing the ball near half court and taking it in for a layup. This brought the Eagles within 37-36.

With 5:15 left in the game, Farra hit a 3-pointer from near the top of the key, giving Uniontown its first lead since early in the third quarter, and sending Eagles fans into a frenzy.

"Farra (arrived) kind of late in the season and I'm proud of the way that we've accepted her and the role that she's been able to fill for us," Shinn said.

The Wildcats were able to briefly regain control of the game, going on a 5-0 run over the next two minutes of play to take a 42-39 lead. Farra cut the deficit to 2 points after hitting one of two free throws with a little more than two minutes left in regulation.

With 1:19 to play, Oxford again turned the ball over on a traveling call near half court as they were attempting to work the clock. The violation proved costly as Shinn, a versatile forward, slashed in from the left wing, hit a short running jumper with 58 seconds to play to tie the score 42-42.

After another defensive stop by Uniontown, the Eagles inbounded the ball with 46 seconds remaining for one final possession. After nearly turning the ball over twice in the half court set, and with the clock running down, senior Mandie Ridge drove the right baseline -- kicking the ball out to Shinn who missed a short running jumper. But Farra was there to save the day, as she came up with theball, and was fouled going up for a layup with just under 2 seconds left in regulation.

Farra missed the first free throw, but calmly sank the second, as the Eagles regained the lead, 43-42. A desperation three-quarters court heave did not fall for the Wildcats, capping a wild finish to the game.

"It feels so good. I'm just glad that it's not over yet," Shinn said. "We have another chance to go out there and represent our school."

Only five Uniontown players scored on the night. Farra led the Eagles with a game-high 15 points, while Coyan scored 14 to go with three steals and Shinn added 8 points. Robinson hauled in 11 rebounds on the night while Ridge dished out four assists.

Farra, who was an in-season transfer from Colorado, has been a key to Uniontown's success in the second half of the season. Shinn said having Farra as a teammate has been an exciting experience.

"It was so fun, she taught us so much, myself included," Shinn said. "The way she can take the ball and drive is great, and we all just learned so much from that. She really helped a lot of our shooting guards."

Uniontown Head Coach Dustin Miller was unavailable for comment after the game.

The Eagles will face top-seeded Sedan at 7:30 p.m. tonight at Yates Center. The Blue Devils (16-4) beat Oswego, 64-25, Wednesday night in another weather-delayed first-round game. The other semifinal between third-seeded Colgan (13-8) and second-seeded Pleasanton (13-7) will precede that at 6 p.m. Tonight's winners advance to the Sub-State final at 6 p.m. Saturday at Yates Center.

(5) OXFORD: Lerback 0 0-0 0, Norris 3 1-2 7, Payne 2 4-8 9, Perez 3 4-5 11, Lawrenz 0 0-2 0, Metz 3 2-4 8, Whitlock 3 1-2 7. TOTALS: 14 12-23 42.

(4) UNIONTOWN: E.Shinn 2 4-5 8, Harper 0 0-0 0, H.Shinn 0 0-0 0, Stokes 1 0-0 2, Coyan 7 0-0 14, Wilkinson 0 0-0 0, Farra 5 4-6 15, Robinson 1 2-2 4, Ridge 0 0-1 0. TOTALS: 16 10-14 43.

Uniontown...... 10 13 9 11 -- 43

Three-point field goals: Oxford 2 (Norris, Payne), Uniontown 1 (Farra).

Total fouls: Oxford 15, Uniontown 17. Fouled out: None.